


In a Monster's Clutches

by Lady_Sci_Fi



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-22
Updated: 2015-10-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 13:27:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5050303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Sci_Fi/pseuds/Lady_Sci_Fi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Balin and Ori get caught by Azog the Defiler.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In a Monster's Clutches

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for these kinkmeme prompts:  
> http://hobbit-kink.livejournal.com/14338.html?thread=26396418#t26396418  
> http://hobbit-kink.livejournal.com/14338.html?thread=26327554#t26327554
> 
> Azog catches one of the dwarves while hunting them" and "Balin whump"

Balin’s foot slipped as he made the jump from the falling tree to the next standing one, just low enough for a strong jaw and set of sharp teeth to seize his boot and close painfully around his ankle. He let out a cry, and wrapped his arms around the branch, kicking at the warg with his other foot. It didn’t open its mouth, instead pulling down on him. Someone from above wrapped their hands around his arm, shouting, though he couldn’t make out the voice in all the chaos of howls and yells.

Then this tree started to tip over, and the warg shook its head and yanked harder. “Let go!” he shouted to the person holding onto him, wanting them to jump for safety. But it was too late, and the two of them fell down with the tree. The braches nearly impaled them on the way down, and when the trunk hit the ground, they found themselves trapped under those thick branches.

“Balin! Ori!”

Wargs jumped over them to get to the final standing tree and attempt to bring it down like the others. The beast that had captured Balin’s foot did not forget him and tore through the branches to get to him again. Balin couldn’t get to the sword on his hip quickly enough, but Ori snatched up Dwalin’s hammer and jabbed the end of the handle up into the warg’s face.

Then fire rained down from above and started spreading, though it miraculously stayed away from them. The warg yelped and scurried away as its fur caught fire.

Balin scooted backwards out from under the branches. He and Ori had just gotten to their feet when two wargs pounced on them from behind, pinning them down on their fronts. Balin felt the hot breath on the back of his neck, and swallowed in sick anticipation for what these things were about to do to him, and to the youngest member of the Company. But a rough voice in Black Speech commanded something, and the wargs closed their mouths.

“Be brave, lad,” Balin encouraged to Ori. Though he had no idea how they were going to get out of this. They couldn’t fight back, and they couldn’t run. They were trapped under wargs, and the others were trapped in a tree, one that was now tipping over past the cliff edge.

From their vantage points, they couldn’t see what happened after Thorin stood and charged down the trunk. They couldn’t hear much of anything either, over the slobbering heavy breathing of the beasts pinning them down and the fire roaring nearby.

A screech, sudden and piercing, filled the sky, and was quickly followed by several more. Balin and Ori cried out as the wargs picked them up in their jaws and ran, teeth digging in through their clothes. They caught glimpses of eagles wreaking havoc and picking up the other members of the Company.

And then their friends and the eagles were gone, flying away past the cliff.

Balin let out a quick prayer to Mahal that they would find some way out of this, at least for Ori. The young scribe didn’t deserve to go out as a meal for a warg. He hoped whatever end they were about to meet would be quick, though Azog the Defiler did not get that name from being merciful.

They were put down a little ways up the hill, far enough from the fire to no longer feel the heat of it. Ori got up to his feet quicker, and pulled Balin up alongside him. Balin drew his sword, and stood between the young dwarf and the two wargs and the two orcs riding them. This would be bad enough if he was alone, but he had also dragged Ori down with him.

“Balin…” Ori addressed, fear creeping into his voice.

Balin turned, and saw that they were now completely surrounded by the surviving wargs and orcs. Azog rode up to join the circle on his massive white warg. The anger present on his face was more than enough for Balin to know there wouldn’t be any mercy. His eyes flickered down to the giant orc’s skirt of flayed faces, and shuddered. He could only hope his and Ori’s would not be added to it.

Ori shrank back as Azog started to laugh. Balin pushed Ori behind him and stood his ground when the pale orc slid down from his mount and approached them. Azog didn’te ven seem to pay Ori any mind, all his focus on the older dwarf. His face expressed recognition, which was confirmed when, in his string of unknown words, he said, “Moria.”

Without warning, Azog’s hand shot out and seized Balin’s neck. The orc effortlessly lifted him from the ground, squeezing his throat. Balin swung his sword up, but his exhausted attempt did nothing to convince the orc to drop him.

“Put him down!” Ori cried. “Let him go!”

“Ori, don’t,” Balin choked out. He shuddered as Azog’s thumb raised up to stroke down his chin. Azog’s grip tightened, and Balin dropped his weapon to claw at the strong hand. His vision blurred as his eyes watered from lack of air. His chest and head hurt, his lungs feeling like they were going to burst.

Ori picked up the sword and took a swing at Azog’s leg. He was just as fatigued as Balin, and the strike didn’t do any real damage, but it did anger him enough to make him throw Balin to the ground. Ori yelped as the orc pounced on him, pinning him to the ground under his weight. Azog’s hand spread heavily across Ori’s chest, and his metal claw came dangerously close to piercing the skin of his face.

Balin took heaving breaths as he pushed himself up to his knees. “Stop! Leave the lad alone!” he shouted hoarsely.

Azog looked at him for a short moment, a sick sort of grin on his face. Then he said something to the orcs behind Balin. The older dwarf protested and tried to fight back as two of them grabbed his arms and holding him back from rushing to Ori’s aid. “No! Leave him be!”

Ori threw his arm out to the side, frantically scrambling to find Balin’s sword. He froze as the cold metal of the claw touched his face, lightly scratching it. It wasn’t enough to draw blood, but it was enough to hurt. “Balin!” he cried, and cursed his own fear. He heard the older dwarf’s continued protests, but it didn’t stop the fist that smashed across his face. He immediately tasted blood, and tried to roll out from under Azog, but the orc was too heavy and powerful.

Balin flinched at another sickening sound of Azog punching Ori. “Stop! He’s not the one you want!”

Azog hit the young dwarf again, then stood and stared down at him. Ori turned over onto his side, blood drooling from his mouth. He brought his arms up to protect his face from any more abuse. He could nothing but close his eyes and shake as he processed the pain overtaking half his head. He heard Azog move away for a short moment, and a short moment was all he had to try to work through the pain before something struck him in the middle of his back with enough force to lift him from the ground and send him rolling a few feet.

Ori’s back arched as he cried out, and his limbs stiffened and fingers splayed in the air. Azog quickly kicked him over onto his front and stomped on his back, keeping his foot planted firmly there.

Ori kept very still as he felt Azog bend over and the metal claw ruffle through his hair. “Please, let us go…” He ended up with a mouthful of dirt when the orc shoved his face down.

Balin again tried in vain to tear away from the orcs holding him back. His ankle throbbed from where the warg had bit into it, which was only made worse when one of the orcs kicked the back of his knee. He could not let the youngest member of their company suffer at Azog’s hands. He couldn’t let the lad die like this. His eyes involuntarily shut for a second when Azog kicked Ori over onto his back and brought his mace down on his stomach, resulting in a yelp mixed with a wheeze of air rushing out.

Ori had no air left in him to even squeak as Azog bent down and seized a handful of his hair and started dragging him. Then with one strong motion, he was yanked up to his unsteady feet, only a short distance away from Balin. Azog taunted Balin, though neither dwarf understood the words. Ori could only try to keep his knees from buckling when the claw hand stroked down his face and settled under his chin, the sharp points pressing up and threatening to puncture the skin.

“Let him go, he’s done nothing to insult you,” Balin tried again, keeping his eyes locked on Ori’s to give him courage. His gaze went to meet the icy intense stare of Azog. “You were right. I was at Moria, at the side of Thorin Oakenshield himself.”

“Balin, no,” Ori breathed. He couldn’t let Azog take out any vengeance on someone as important as Balin. Better himself, someone who didn’t mean as much to Thorin, to the quest. His foot slipped a little in the dirt, and he winced as one of the sharp points pierced his flesh. It was Azog’s iron grasp on his hair that stopped it from going in any further.

Blain shook his head. “If you want vengeance on Thorin for Moria, I’m closer to him. I would be more of a message, if that’s your intent.”

“Balin, don’t,” Ori protested with a cough. “I’m more expendable. Thorin needs you more than me.”

Balin didn’t respond to the other dwarf, instead keeping his eyes on Azog’s, knowing the orc understood everything that had been said. “Which is why I would be a better message. I’m more important than the lad, more crucial to our goal.”

Azog grinned, and his hand easily wrapped around Ori’s throat. He went down on one knee and bent Ori backward over it, pinning him down and strangling him.

“No! Don’t kill him!” Balin shouted over the gasps and choking sounds as the young dwarf clawed at the large hand and struggled to breathe. “Don’t! Let him go!”

Black spots swam in Ori’s sight, and grey pressed in from the sides. His lungs felt like they would burst from lack of air. His hands stopped trying to push Azog away and dropped limply to his sides. The huge white hand was going to crush his very throat… He didn’t want to die like this, away from his brothers, by the hand of this monster. But there was nothing he could do to fight back…

Then he suddenly dropped to the ground, and all he could do was lay there and breathe. Ori was dimly aware of Balin dropping to his knees at his side and running a hand through his hair. He could barely hear, “It’s alright, lad,” over his gulping heaves. He let out a little cry as Balin was shoved away from him, and two orcs grabbed the young dwarf and pulled him up to his knees, where he swayed for a few seconds. The orcs held him there firmly, not that Ori thought he could cause much trouble now. And now he could only watch as Balin took his place in Azog’s clutches.

Balin did not struggle as Azog picked him up by the front of his clothes and slammed him back-first against a tree. He would not do anything to convince the orc to turn his attention back on Ori.

The tug of his beard in Azog’s grasp, and the impact of the tree was nothing compared to what happened next. Balin cried out as the metal claw plunged into his shoulder, pushing in deep. His stomach turned at the slight twist in his flesh, and nearly got sick. Then Azog let go, but kept him dangling above the ground against the solid wood with the claw in his shoulder.

Balin’s vision flashed white at the agony, and he screamed before he nearly passed out. He closed his mouth, and tried to regulate his breathing. Anything to get through the pain.

Azog withdrew his claw and let Balin drop heavily to the ground. Balin whimpered as he clutched at his shoulder, blood spreading across his clothing and leaking out between his fingers. In his dazed state of mind from the lingering pain, he wondered if the blood would even show through the red of his clothes.

Azog seemed to have the same thought, and a command to his orcs resulted in two of them tearing and pulling at Balin’s clothes until all the layers of his torso, except his undershirt, had been stripped off. Then the white orc kicked Balin’s hand away from the wound and stepped on the injured shoulder, pressing down with all his weight.

Balin squirmed under Azog’s boot, hand desperately searching for anything to grab onto to pull himself away from the pain. The orc picked up his mace, and Balin’s eyes widened as that large boot came down on his throat, pressing and cutting off air.

He had no way to cry out as the mace was brought down on his abdomen. He couldn’t even gasp, only able to grit his teeth. Azog hit him twice more, once in the side and once on the chest. Balin couldn’t breathe, couldn’t force the pain out, couldn’t get away, could only uselessly push at the foot across his throat. Over Azog’s growling breaths, he heard Ori’s protesting cries to stop hurting him.

The foot lifted, but Balin only had a couple seconds to breathe before it smashed across his face. Blood spurted from his mouth as his head snapped to the side. He turned over, away from Azog, to cough and breathe, his blood dampening the grass below. He ended up inhaling some of the dirt when the orc’s foot stepped on the side of his head and pressed down.

He let out a long protesting and painful cry, slightly muffled by the grass and dirt. It was expressing all the pain he had collected so far. Azog took away his foot and left him be for a moment, taunting him in Black Speech. Balin unconsciously reached out, not even knowing what for, and his hand closed around something soft, a part of his stripped clothes.

Azog kicked Balin’s arm away from the pile of clothes, then effortlessly lifted him to his shaky feet. Balin shivered as the orc’s hand caressed the side of his face, its size easily engulfing it. He held Azog’s gaze, and didn’t notice the other arm moving. The metal claw scratched deeply around his side, but he could not pull back in response to the pain. Azog’s yanked him forward, then tossed him behind.

Balin landed hard on his injured shoulder, and he bit his lip as he turned onto his back. Azog approached, and he kicked out at the white hand reaching down. Azog caught one of his feet, the same one that had been caught in the warg’s jaws, and suddenly, sharply, twisted the ankle.

Balin’s eyes flew wide, crying out as he feared the bone would break. He fruitlessly reached up to grab at it, but could only clench his fists as Azog twisted it further. He managed to turn over onto his front and get up on his hands to try to crawl out of the grip. He instantly dropped back down when his ankle was twisted the other way. His hands grabbed at his hair at the pain.

At the point where Balin thought the bone would break, Azog let go. Balin instantly drew his knee up to his chest to clutch at the new injury. He let out slow breaths to ease through the pain. He didn’t get long to before Azog kicked him to make him let go, and sat on the back of his things to pin him down.

Balin screamed as the claw again went into his shoulder, this time from the back. He squirmed and made desperate grasps at the grass, trying to get away, but there was no getting out from under the heavy weight. His head dropped to the ground as the claw withdrew, and a long moan came through his lips at the lingering pain.

His body stiffened as he felt something thin and sharp press into his back near his shoulder. Without warning, the knife tore through his thin shirt and his skin diagonally across his back . He bit through his lip, but that did not stop the long hoarse cry from escaping.

He grunted at the way his head was wrenched up and back, bending his neck painfully. He closed his eyes at the point of one of the claw fingers touching the front of his throat, threatening to impale the skin and veins beneath.

Azog said something Balin didn’t understand, and let out a low growled chuckle. Balin could only let out a gasp of relief when the orc let go of his hair and got up to walk a few feet away. He heard another few words in Black Speech spoen, and a few seconds after, Ori slid to his knees at his side.

The young dwarf winced as he helped Balin sit up. “You- you should’ve let me-“

Balin slumped forward against Ori. “No.” He turned his head just enough to see Azog giving orders to his orcs. “I suppose that means he’s… he’s done.” There would certainly be more to come later, but it seemed the pale orc had taken out enough of his frustration. “Ori… bandage me while we have the chance.”

Ori nodded and leaned over to grab the pile of clothes. Without anything to cut the fabric of the inner layer of shirt, all he could do was wrap it tightly around the lacerations and punctures in the older dwarf’s shoulder and back. He then helped him into the red coat.

Balin took a mental note of everything, his bloody shoulder and back, his aching chest and ribcage from the mace, the sharp pain shooting up from his twisted ankle, along with whatever minor relatively minor bruises that were bound to appear. Then he looked to Ori’s face, one side of it swelling and bruising from the beating he had received. “I’m sorry.”

Ori shook his head, wincing at the pain the movement brought. “He did a worse number on you than me.”

They both let out cries as they were suddenly lifted from the ground and placed on the back of a warg. Balin was seated behind Ori, and his hands were tied around the other’s middle. Ori’s hands were tied to the beast’s neck. Then their legs were secured as well.

“Lean on me,” Ori said quietly. The least he could do for the one who had taken a beating for him was give him solid comfort. His mouth slithly twitched upwards at the way Balin immediately took the offer and rested his forehead on his shoulder.

With a word from Azog, the orcs and wargs bounded forward, down the mountain.

********

Balin had lost consciousness pretty quickly. Ori was determined to stay awake as much as he could, though the throbbing pain in his head protested. He nodded off a few times, but never for very long.

The orcs and wargs did not stop once, driven to catch up to the Company. As much as Ori wanted to be reunited with them, all of them in Azog’s hands would not be the way he wanted.

Ori felt Balin finally stirring at the sound of a mighty roar from somewhere in the forest. Ori glanced around, looking for the source. Could anything out here be worse than Azog the Defiler?

Ori caught a glimpse of a house across a clearing through the trees before they turned away and took off in a direction from the roar. They stopped a few minutes later, apparently far enough from whatever had made that roar. Ori saw the house again, and his eyes widened at the sight of a huge bear chasing the Company inside. He let out a breath of relief when it emerged from the gate with no one in its jaws.

Ori shook his body and verbally prompted Balin to wake up faster as an orc approached them. They were swiftly untied and shoved off the warg. Both winced as their injured bodies hit the ground.

“What’s going on?” Balin asked quietly as two more orcs dragged them over to a tree and tied them to the trunk.

Ori didn’t answer, seeing an opportunity when one orc leaned in too close to his bound hands. He plucked the small knife from the orc’s belt and slid it into the waistband of his trousers in a move that Nori would’ve been proud to see.

When the orcs left them, Balin said, “Looks like we’re stopping for a while.”

“Yeah. Balin...” Ori explained what he had seen.

At the sight of their weapons being untied from a warg and dropped to the ground as the orcs made camp, Balin and Ori made their plan for escape.

Night fell, and their plan was given more of a chance of success, when Azog and most of the orcs and wargs left. Three orcs were left, presumably to keep watch on them and the house. They turned their attention to the house, completely ignoring their prisoners.

“There’s still that bear out there,” Ori swallowed nervously as he slid the knife between his palms to cut the rope tying his hands together.

“Yes, well let’s hope it won’t see us as a threat if it spots us,” Balin replied.

Ori cut through Balin’s rope, and the one restraining them to the tree. Balin nearly collapsed as he stood, his injured foot almost making him cry out in pain and draw attention to them. Ori hurried over to the unguarded weapons and picked up both of theirs. He pressed Balin’s sword into his hand, and hefted up Dwalin’s hammer.

With a silent nod to each other, they rushed at the orcs, taking them by surprise and taking them out, one each before teaming up on the third. Luckily, Azog had taken all the wargs with him.

They hurried across the grassy field, Balin’s injuries slowing them down. Ori kept one hand on the hammer, and the other arm around the older dwarf’s shoulders to support him. Ori glanced behind, looking for the bear. He thought he caught a glimpse of something large moving in the trees, and prayed the bear wouldn’t come after them. They would stand no chance at all against it.

They reached the open gate, and made a final push for the huge door, nearly all their strength spent. Balin leaned forward on his sword as Ori banged on it. He didn’t want to risk yelling to possibly attract the beast lurking around the area. But he had to shout, “Open the door! It’s Ori and Balin! Please… let us in!” He hit it a couple times with Dwalin’s hammer. “Open the door!” Ori nearly fell over as the door swung open.

“By Durin, it is you!” Dwalin said before he and Thorin pulled them inside.

Ori found himself immediately engulfed in both his brothers’ arms as the Company rushed to greet them. Dori started, “We wanted to go back for you. We didn’t want to abandon you, but-“

Ori almost started crying in relief. “I know you wouldn’t.”

“What happened?” Nori asked when they pulled back enough to see the state of the younger dwarf’s face.

“Azog… he wasn’t happy about you all getting away. But I’m- Balin got worse than me.” He sat down as Dori started to check him over.

Balin had practically fallen into his brother’s arms, and was half-carried over to a pile of hay. Dwalin was quick to ask what the injuries were, as Oin hurried over to them. “Foot… Head… Get me out of this coat and you’ll find the rest of it.”

As Oin started working on him, Balin leaned into Dwalin for support. The younger brother comforted, “You made it. We’re safe from him in here. You’ll be alright…”

Ori watched as Balin succumbed to sleep, aided by something Oin told him to drink, something that was also given to him by Gloin. He still wished the older dwarf hadn’t sacrificed himself for him, but it was done, and now they had both escaped the Defiler’s clutches. They were back with their family and friends. Ori settled into Dori’s warm hold, and felt the medication take its effect, the pain in his body beginning to lessen.

“Sleep well, Balin,” he muttered under his breath as his eyes closed.


End file.
